Uganda Vs. Canada Education
In Canada, I went to a public school called "Pineland Public School". Now coming to Uganda, it's a huge change in many different aspects, especially school. And here's why... CURRICULUM: Canada':'' The curriculum in KISU is much different than the curriculum in Canada. Where I'm from, they use the Ontario School system. Firstly, each district in Ontario uses different styles of teaching, they teach the same things just in different styles of teaching. In each city, there are different regions, they include "Halton Region" (which is the region that I lived in), "York Region", "Peel Region" etc. All the teachers in Ontario belong to a union, where they are protected. The teachers union is an organization that serves and protects their rights as teachers. They make decisions together, as a "unified" group. For example, if majority of teachers make a decision to go on a strike (a strike is a refusal to work until their demands have been met) they all must agree whether they want to, or not. When they go on strike school gets canceled in some conditions, also buses, clubs and field trips will no longer go on, for as long as the strike lasts. Since schooling is free in Canada (for Canadian citizens), the teachers get paid by the Canadian Government. (Canadians technically pay for school, but it is through taxes.) There are three different types of schools you can go to. They include public, catholic public, and private. If you're a Canadian Citizen, you do not need to pay to go to a catholic public school or a public school, but to go to a private school, you need to pay school fees. You start school in an elementary school, which mostly starts from kindergarten (4-5 years old) to Grade 8 (13-14 years old) In grades 3,6 and 9, you do a test called EQAO, It tests you on everything that you have done that whole year, it is kind of like having exams, but only for certain grades. When you graduate from elementary school you go to high school, which starts from Grade 9 to Grade 12 (where instead of doing terms, you do semesters). After high school you go off to University/College. '''UGANDA (KISU): At KISU, they use the Cambridge Curriculum (British Schooling System). In Uganda, coming as a student abroad, you go to an International School to learn up to the standards you're used to. When you go to school in Uganda, even as an Ugandan citizen you need to pay for school. Usually it's one whole school (year wise) here, all the way from Registration (2-3 years old) to Year 13/IB 2. After IB 2, you go to a university abroad for obvious reasons. Since you need to pay school fees here, the money you pay goes towards the teachers, maintenance, cleaners, property etc. Edit TEACHERS: CANADA/ PINELAND: The teachers in Canada are mostly Canadian and went to university in Canada. At the moment it is very difficult to get a job as a teacher in Canada. Some teachers quit because they don't like being apart of a union. Also, some teachers teach more than one subject. For example, your math teacher might be also teaching you PE also. KISU: Most teachers come from abroad, including Europe, North America etc. Also, for every subject, there's different teachers teaching it (mostly). BUILDING OF SCHOOL: CANADA: The schools in Canada are only one building, with no campus. They usually just have a large area of grass, and some pavement. For the children in Kinder garden, they have a play ground with swings and slides. High schools have an American Football field. The inside of schools consist of classrooms with heat and AC, washrooms and a gym (sometimes more than one gym depending on the size of the school) for Phys Ed activities. UGANDA/KISU: The schools here usually consist of different buildings, that have different rooms for each subject. Most classrooms don't have air conditioning, and have fewer classrooms in the buildings. For Phys Ed activities, it is usually outdoor. Including a football field, basketball court and a swimming pool (because of the constant heat all year round). WHERE SCHOOLS ARE LOCATED: CANADA: The schools in Canada have boundaries. Which means, if you don't live in the schools boundary, you can't attend that specific school. But, some schools will make exceptions for some students, depending on the situation. If the school is half English and half french, the boundary is larger. Schools are mostly located within walking distance from students homes. Since elementary school starts around 9am, parents are already at work, which forces students to walk to school. If you are a student living farther from school, or if your parents can't pick you up or drop you off, they have school buses to do the job. Since the school bus drivers also get paid by the government, there are no school bus fees either. UGANDA (KISU): The schools here aren't usually in walking distance from students homes, (parents usually drive their kids to school). For students that need to take a bus, NEED to pay school bus fees also. STUDENTS COMING FROM ABROAD: If you are a student coming from a different country, to study in Ontario, you need to pay, even to just go to a Catholic Public or Public school. The cost for primary schooling, coming from abroad, varies between $15,000-$30,000 Canadian Dollars.